Father's letters help 'Gunner' author learn Great War's toll

26th Field Regiment Honorary Col. Rick Felstead, left, shakes hands with Canadian film director, producer and writer Paul Almomd following the official ribbon cutting for the First World War exhibit with RAC Museum director Marc George and Base Commander Lt-Col. Stephen Joudrey at CFB Shilo on Monday.

It was a jam-packed few days in Brandon for author, director and producer Paul Almond.

After opening the Royal Canadian Artillery Museum’s newest exhibit, "The Great War 1914-1915," he sat down to read excerpts from his novel "The Gunner"’ yesterday at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba.

The book is set against the backdrop of the Great War and draws from some of the experiences of his father, who served in the artillery and was wounded six times in battle.

Almond found a series of letters his father wrote during the time and worked it into

the book. He also relied on detailed medical records.

"I never knew him because he had shell shock, which is called PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) today, and he went into hospital soon after I was born, so I never met him and he died in hospital before I could see him," he said.

With only letters to go on, Almond said he spent countless hours researching the book and leaned heavily on RCA Museum director Marc George.

That research helped him realize the incredible toll the First World War exacted, one of the deadliest in history.

"The hospital trains would have a nurse that would live on it for two weeks," Almond said.

"And the poor little thing would have to administer to all these ghastly wounds, bleeding and then at night she had to try to wash all the blood off her uniform for the next day."

This article has not yet been rated.

We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high. If you thought it was well written, do the same. If it doesn’t meet your standards, mark it accordingly.

You can also register and/or login to the site and join the conversation by leaving a comment.

Rate it yourself by rolling over the stars and clicking when you reach your desired rating. We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high.

You can comment on most stories on brandonsun.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments.
All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

There are no comments at the moment. Be the first to post a comment below.

Post Your Comment

Error

The following error(s) occurred:

You forgot to fill in the comment box.

confirm comment

The following is the comment that you have written. If you like what you have written, select the submit button and the comment will be sent to the Brandon Sun. If you would like to go back and edit your comment, select the edit button.

Comment

You have characters left

The Brandon Sun does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. Comments are moderated before publication. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

It was a jam-packed few days in Brandon for author, director and producer Paul Almond.

After opening the Royal Canadian Artillery Museum’s newest exhibit, "The Great War 1914-1915," he sat down to read excerpts from his novel "The Gunner"’ yesterday at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba.

Please subscribe to view full article.

It was a jam-packed few days in Brandon for author, director and producer Paul Almond.

After opening the Royal Canadian Artillery Museum’s newest exhibit, "The Great War 1914-1915," he sat down to read excerpts from his novel "The Gunner"’ yesterday at the Art Gallery of Southwestern Manitoba.

Subscription required to view full article.

A subscription to the Brandon Sun Newspaper is required to view this article. Please update your user information if you are already a newspaper subscriber.